Storm of Fear
by Tyminator
Summary: After Jack thwarts a convenience store robbery, he has to fight kidnappers and black market arms dealers with twisted agendas. Pre S1.
1. The Robbery

Jack Bauer pulled up to the Swift Stop convenience store in his black, CTU loaned Ford Explorer. He cut the engine and hopped out into the cold rain. He hurriedly ran toward the glass doors of the small store in a vain attempt to avoid getting soaked.

Jack didn't usually stop at convenience stores, but on this cold, damp morning, Jack needed something to help him wake up.

The night before, Jack and his wife, Teri, had been invited to a party held by one of their neighbors. Jack had drank a few beers and they had stayed until early in the morning.

Jack headed straight for the soft drink machine in the very back corner of the store.

The Swift Stop was fairly big compared to many other convenience stores. There were five aisles containing everything from potato chips to toilet paper. On the very back wall was a long row of refrigerators that held assorted sodas and juices. At the very front was the cash register and behind that were rows of tobacco and lottery tickets. The cash register sat on top of a long counter that had a large selection of multiple candy bars in the front. The only thing unusual about the store was the fact that it had only one entrance at the front next to the cash register.

Jack picked up the 64 oz. cup that the store had nicknamed "Giant Gulp." He pushed it under the soda dispenser that contained the most caffeine. It was then that Jack realized that he was the only one in the store. Another man had left a few seconds ago after paying for a doughnut and a coffee.

Jack turned his attention back to his soft drink and he subconsciously heard the bell ring as the glass door opened.

The next thing that Jack Bauer heard was the click of a gun being cocked and a man yelling, "Put the money in the bag!"

Jack dove behind the aisle closest to him as he realized that the store was being robbed. He pulled out his trusty Heckler & Koch 9mm pistol and poked his head above the aisle to assess the situation.

There were three men total and all of them wore gray hooded sweatshirts with jeans and they had dark sunglasses covering their eyes. They also had three different kinds of weapons.

The skinny man who was up front trying to get the clerk to hand over the money was carrying a Magnum and a bag for their money. The largest man standing to the side of the counter had what looked like a small pistol. The last man was tall and well built, and was brandishing a 12 gauge pump-action shotgun while covering the glass doors.

The man with the money bag was losing his patience with the cashier, who kept fumbling around with the register. Jack jumped when he heard the crack of the single gunshot slice through the air.

Jack peeked over the top of the aisle and saw blood splattered all over the row of cigarettes behind the counter. He also got a glimpse of the dying cashier, a middle-aged man, as he fell backwards behind the counter.

The shooter hopped the counter and started working on the register.

"Bulldog!" he yelled. "Go check for witnesses! We can't be compromised!"

Bulldog, the large man with the small pistol standing by the counter, headed off toward the rear of the store to make sure they were alone.

He reached the end of the first aisle and whipped up his gun as he rounded the corner. He cautiously crept along each aisle until he reached the far corner where Jack was waiting.

But Jack realized his mistake just as Bulldog noticed it.

Jack had left his soft drink sitting on the machine without a lid.

"Eagle!" Bulldog yelled. "There's somebody back-"

Bulldog never got to finish his sentence. Jack leapt around the corner and squeezed the trigger on his gun twice. Bulldog reeled backward in a shower of blood as the first shot hit him in the chest, and the second hit it's mark right between the man's eyes, shattering the bridge of his dark sunglasses.

Jack rolled along the back wall as the glass from the refrigerator door next to him exploded as it was hit with a shotgun blast. He ducked behind a row of food and checked the positions of his enemies.

The man with the shotgun was crouched behind the first aisle, and the man with the Magnum was still behind the counter with his gun aimed at Jack. He pulled off a shot that ricocheted off the tile floor next to Jack's foot.

Suddenly it was quiet inside the convenience store. It was the man behind the counter that broke the dead silence.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"My name is Jack Bauer," he replied. "Head of Field Operations for CTU."

"CTU," the man said. "What the hell does that stand for?"

"Counter Terrorist Unit. I work for the government.

"I ain't no terrorist! I ain't gonna go to jail!"

With that, the man behind the counter fired off three shots that came precariously close to hitting Jack. He even felt one of the bullets whiz past his head and slam into the glass refrigerator door behind him.

Jack jumped up and returned fire, but he was forced to crouch back down as a blast from the second man's shotgun hit the row of potato chips in front of him. The bags of chips exploded from the immense force of the shot.

Jack scuttled down the aisles away from the soft drink machine and crouched behind a display of road maps. Jack knew that he had to first take out the man with the shotgun before he could even think about neutralizing the man behind the counter.

An idea popped into Jack's head. He slowly reached across the tile floor and carefully pulled open the refrigerator door. He grabbed a glass bottle of iced tea and silently closed the door. Jack turned toward the front of the store and heaved the glass bottle up front on the left side of the aisle he was hiding behind.

The bottle instantly exploded when it hit the floor like a glass grenade. Both men turned away as tiny shards of glass and droplets of iced tea rained down on them, but Jack didn't wait for the commotion to die down.

Jack was on his feet in seconds and rushing down the _right _side of the aisle. As he neared the end of the row, Jack slid the final few feet and his momentum carried him out into the open area by the counter. He aimed his gun up and pulled the trigger.

The man with the shotgun instantly fell as blood erupted from his chest.

Jack tried to shoot at the man behind the counter, but he was forced back behind the aisle from a volley of bullets that originated from behind the counter.

Jack glanced out the window and smiled to himself when he saw the flashing red and blue strobe lights outside.

The police had arrived.


	2. The Interrogation

After the police showed up, it only took a few minutes to confirm that a federal agent was the only other person inside the store, who could hold his own for a few more minutes, and then to gear up for the assault.

The Los Angeles Police Department brought out Plexiglas riot shields and stormed the building. They first went over to Jack to make sure he wasn't the suspect, but Jack laid down his gun and flashed his CTU badge and the police promptly moved on to the man behind the counter.

Jack could tell that the man was scared and he quickly surrendered without a fight. The police quickly placed the man in handcuffs and were about to lead the man out of the store when Jack grabbed the shoulder of one of the police officers.

"Who is the officer in charge?" Jack demanded.

"Captain Stevenson," the officer replied pointing to a tough looking cop who looked like a man who held much authority.

Jack jogged over to the captain.

"Captain Stevenson," Jack said. "I was hoping that you wouldn't mind if I interrogate the suspect here."

Stevenson contemplated this for a moment and then said, "Why does CTU have an interest with the suspect Mr…?

"Bauer," Jack said. "Jack Bauer. I believe that the suspect is involved with a terrorist organization."

"What makes you say that, Mr. Bauer?"

"Earlier," Jack replied. "The man told one of his accomplices to 'check for witnesses because their mission could not be compromised.' Also, when I mentioned that I worked for CTU, he told the other man that 'they're on to us.'"

Stevenson thought about it some more, but eventually said that it would be alright.

"Jones," he said to the officer leading the suspect away. "Mr. Bauer here is now your supervisor. Just give him anything he needs. He is going to interrogate the man here."

"Okay," Officer Jones said. "But he hasn't been searched yet."

"That's fine," Jack replied. "Just place him over here."

Jack went behind the counter and, while being careful to avoid the cashier's dead body, retrieved a small chair. He then told Jones to handcuff both of the man's wrists to the arms of the chair.

Jack slowly paced around in front of the man for a few seconds. He could tell that he was mostly just scared.

Jack finally broke the silence.

"Tell me your name," he said.

"You can call me Eagle," the man replied.

"Your real name!" Jack demanded.

"B-Bill," he stuttered. "Bill Frank."

"Okay, Bill. I want to know why you think that the Counter Terrorist Unit would be _on to you_."

"I'm not telling you anything!"

Jack backhanded Bill across the side of his face. The man uttered a soft scream as the smack resonated throughout the store. Blood dripped out of his mouth as Bill slouched in the chair, but Jack forcefully grabbed his collar and pulled him close to his face.

"You listen to me," Jack hissed. "If you don't talk, I can take you back to CTU where we will _force _the information out of you. Now tell me! Are you involved with a terrorist organization?!?!"

"No," Bill replied, but Jack saw his eyes get wide and he was looking at his chest. Jack knew something was wrong, but he decided to unzip the man's gray sweatshirt.

As he reached for the metal zipper, he looked up and realized that that Bill was mouthing the word 'slowly.'

Jack nodded and pulled open the zipper. When it was only halfway opened, Jack's eyes grew wide and he jumped away from the suspect.

"Get me the bomb squad in here now!" Jack yelled outside where Stevenson was waiting.

"No, don't!" Bill screamed. "They'll trigger the-"

Bill was cut off as a red light started to flash on the front of the front of the C4 explosives strapped to his chest. A soft beeping pierced the silence.

"Listen to me!" Bill yelled. "They have our families! We were being used as a side operation! They needed money for something bigger! Please, save my family!"

"Get your people out of here!" Jack yelled to Officer Jones. He then turned back to Bill and said, "Bill! Who is doing this?!?!"

"They're outside in the black van."

As a green light flipped on in place of the red one, tears started to come to Bill's eyes.

His last words were, "Save my family."

Jack was thrown backward from the force of the small explosion. He took refuge behind the second aisle as a second and third explosion from the other dead men's chests ripped through the store.

Jack was up on his feet and running toward the exit before the dust could clear. He had to apprehend the men in the van that Bill had told him about. Jack guessed that they planted C4 and listening devices on their hostages and threatened to blown them up if they didn't rob the store. They must have blown the C4 when Bill started to tell Jack about them. Luckily, they were too late.

Jack yelled to a nearby officer, "The suspects are in a black van somewhere in the vicinity!"

The police officer never had a chance to reply as a hail of bullets ripped through his body. The man fell in a cloud of blood.

Jack took cover behind a police car as the tires on a black van across the street squealed. The passenger's side window was rolled down and bullets were spewing forth from the dark interior onto the mass of police officers.


	3. The Chase

Jack Bauer was in a world of chaos.

Bullets from an automatic assault rifle were slamming into everything in sight. Police cars were getting torn to shreds, asphalt was getting chewed up, and bodies were being pummeled to pieces.

Jack helplessly watched as another LAPD officer was mowed down from the storm of bullets.

Jack shoved his gun around the side of the dumpster and fired three shots at the hostiles' van. The first bullet shattered the passenger side rearview mirror, while the other two bullets helplessly threw up chunks of asphalt after bouncing into the ground.

The driver of the van realized that they were being shot at, and pulled away from the war-torn area of destruction.

When Jack noticed that the suspects were about to get away, he rushed out from his hiding spot and yelled to Captain Stevenson, who was taking cover behind a police car, "Get as many men as you can and follow that van!"

Jack leaped into his Ford Explorer and slammed the door shut behind him.

Jack punched the accelerator and sped off in hot pursuit. He was followed by two squad cars that had survived the gunfight.

Jack then decided to call CTU. Nina Myers, a CTU agent and close friend of Jack, picked up the phone on the other end of the call.

"Nina, it's Jack," he said. "I am in pursuit of a suspect with possible terrorist relations. I need you to call the LAPD and get me the cell phone number for a Captain Stevenson."

"Okay," Nina replied. "I'll get back to you."

So far, Jack was just trying to catch up with the black van. A few minutes later, Nina called back.

She gave Jack the cell phone number, and asked, "What's going on Jack?"

"About ten minutes ago, a convenience store that I was in was robbed by three armed gunmen," Jack replied. "I neutralized two of the three hostiles, and apprehended the third. As I started to interrogate the man, I found a large pack of C-4 strapped to his chest."

Jack paused. "Him and his family were being held hostage by a terrorist group, Nina. They forced him to rob the store. I don't know why, but I'm going to find out. They killed him, Nina. Blew him up right in front of my eyes. And there was nothing I could do to stop it."

"My God, Jack," Nina whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Jack answered. "I'm fine. Now listen to me Nina. I need you run a check on a license plate for me."

Jack gave her the number for the black van's license plate and told her thanks.

Before he could hang up, Nina said, "Be careful, Jack."

"Thanks, Nina," he replied.

Jack hung up and punched in the number for Captain Stevenson. The captain picked up on the second ring.

"It's Bauer," Jack said. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the squad car to your left," Stevenson said. "Backup is on the way."

"We have to take him out now before he either reaches the highway or an inhabited area," Jack said as the chase brought them past a deserted train yard.

It was then that automatic gunfire from the black van punched holes into the hood of the squad car to Jack's _right._ The police officer swerved to avoid the maelstrom of hot bullets and hit the side ditch at full speed. The car's front bumper disappeared into the dip, but immediately shot up the other side. The car's momentum carried it through the air and it came to a rest on it's side in a crumpled heap.

The gunner in the van turned his attention to Jack's Explorer. Bullets shattered his rearview mirror and tore into the left side of his front bumper, breaking the lights on the large vehicle.

Jack weaved to the left and gunned the engine. He pulled up alongside the driver's side of the van and slammed into the black vehicle.

Metal screeched and sparks flew as the huge vehicles grinded against each other.

The van pulled away from Jack and the rear sliding door opened up to reveal a man holding a double barreled shotgun.

Jack hit his brakes and slid behind the van, but not before a blast from the enemy's shotgun smashed the passenger's side door of Jack's Ford Explorer.

Jack gunned the engine and slammed into the back door of the van. The van lurched to the left onto a narrow driveway that led deeper into the main station.

The three vehicles shot out into the abandoned parking lot overgrown with weeds and grass.

The black van tried to take a right turn back out onto the main road, but the driver was going too fast.

The van fishtailed and skidded across the pavement. Jack saw his opportunity and smashed into the van at sixty miles per hour. The two vehicles flew into a small wooden shed that was used to hold supplies for the railroad workers.

The cars came to a rest against the far wall of the shed.

Jack forced his door open as splinters rained down all around him. He hopped out of his Explorer and his pistol was immediately in his hand. Captain Stevenson and Officer Jones were already flanking the suspect's van.

The driver's door opened up and a large man dressed in black fell out of the van. He had a large chunk of glass lodged into his forehead and a stream of blood was pouring down his face.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" Captain Stevenson yelled.

The suspect groaned in pain and coughed up a small pool of dark red blood on the ground.

Jack moved forward and sharply kicked the man in the ribs. Jack thought he heard one of them break. The man screamed at the jolt of pain that followed.

"My name is Jack Bauer, CTU!" he yelled. "Where are you holding the hostages?!?!"

The man chuckled as the man held up his right hand revealing a small, green grenade.

"See you in Hell, Mr. Bauer."

Jack watched in horror as the man pulled the pin.


	4. The Assault

Jack quickly dove backwards and rolled over the top of a small cabinet that was knocked loose in the crash. His momentum carried him over the top and ducked behind the cabinet just as the small blast sent out a shockwave that rattled the whole tool shed.

Jack flinched when he heard the small bits of shrapnel pierce the other side of the cabinet, but was relieved when the piece of wood held up against the explosion.

Jack stood up and surveyed the damage along with Captain Stevenson who had taken cover behind the suspect's van.

Officer Jones wasn't as lucky.

The young police officer was blown backwards against the far side of the side of the shed. Almost the entire right side of his body was blown apart and he was also missing part of his left arm. Tiny pieces of shrapnel blasted through his bulletproof vest and a large pool of crimson-red blood was growing larger by the second.

"Oh God, Nick," Captain Stevenson whimpered.

Just then, Jack's cell phone rang.

Nina's familiar voice greeted Jack as he flipped open the phone.

"Jack," she said. "The license plate I ran was registered to an Eli Roberts. I also got the list of dead bodies at the convenience store. All of the men, including Roberts, worked for a small trucking company called Highway Haulers, which is owned by a man named Eugene Sanders. I don't think this is just a coincidence Jack."

"Okay, Nina," Jack said. "Great work."

"I'm uploading a photo of Sanders and the address and floor plans of the trucking company's warehouse to your PDA now. Also, I'm sending in a team that will set up a perimeter and await your orders."

"Thanks, Nina."

Jack closed the phone and turned to Captain Stevenson, who was kneeling next to his fallen comrade.

"I need to get moving," Jack said. "Whether you come with me or not, it's your choice, but I could really use some help."

Stevenson paused.

"Agent Bauer," he said. "I just lost not only a great friend, but also a man that I thought of as a brother. I'm coming with you. Now, it's personal."

Ten minutes later, Jack was racing through downtown Los Angeles in Captain Stevenson's squad car.

Jack had convinced the older policeman to let Jack handle the driving, while Stevenson overlooked the attack strategies and floor plans of the trucking company on Jack's PDA.

Jack approached the CTU attack team that had set up a perimeter about a block away from the building. Jack and Captain Stevenson hopped out of the squad car and walked toward the group to inform the strike team.

"I want you all to check your targets," Jack said. "Civilians could possibly be in the area and do not fire unless fired upon, understand?"

Jack received multiple nods from the group and then introduced Captain Stevenson to the rest of the team.

"Also be on the lookout for this man," Jack said while showing the team a photo of Eugene Sanders. "He owns the company and probably has something to do with whatever is going on."

"Captain Stevenson has looked over the blueprints of the building and has found a back door that would be easy to initiate and attack from." Jack paused before continuing. "So, if everybody follows my lead, this should go according to plan."

Jack threw on a bullet proof with bold CTU lettering on the back and said, "Let's go."

Five minutes later, Jack, Captain Stevenson, and the rest of CTU team were huddled around a small back door to the small building.

The Highway Haulers building was not the hottest joint in town. Mold was growing in corners and a lot of the beige paint that covered the facility was chipping off. A rusted metal sign greeted clients and visitors of the company next to a long gravel driveway with weeds poking up around the middle. The grass in the front lawn was weedy and overgrown.

Off to one side of the building, there was a loading dock with multiple semi trailers scattered around the outside.

Jack wanted to first raid the main building, then work their way over to the loading docks which were connected to the main building.

Jack motioned for the CTU agent holding a small battering ram to bust open the door and whispered a countdown to the rest of the team.

"3..., 2..., 1... Go!"

The frail wooden door didn't stand a chance. It was blasted clear off the hinges and split right down the middle.

Jack ran through the doorway with his gun drawn.

He sprinted through a small hallway that opened up a small office area with desks and a few workers typing away on computers.

"CTU!" he yelled. "Everybody down the ground now!"

A few of the employees obliged the command, but one large man with a shaved head responded by firing a shot a Jack from a little revolver. Jack ducked behind a desk as the shot flew harmlessly into a wall.

Jack returned fire with his Heckler & Koch 9mm and hit the man with two rounds to the chest.

Jack hopped up and ran toward a door marked "Manager - Eugene Sanders". Jack kicked open the door and was met by machine gun fire from two men inside the room. Jack guessed they had heard the shots and weren't taking any chances.

Jack and a few of the team members ducked inside rooms next to the doorway. One of the CTU agents wasn't so lucky.

He was literally ripped to pieces as the hail of bullets tore through his bullet-proof vest. Blood and gore flew across the room and splattered onto the wall on the other side of the room.

The team returned fire and Jack heard one of the two hostiles groan as he was hit in the chest and shoulders.

"Don't shoot! I give up!"

Jack heard the cry and was already moving in on the surrendered man who had dropped the weapon and had his hands up.

Jack pulled out his handcuffs and quickly restrained the man. He spun the man around and recognized the man as Eugene Sanders.

Sanders had dark hair and brown eyes and was well tanned. He was short, but fit and had wide shoulders.

"Eugene Sanders!" Jack yelled. "Where are the hostages?!?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he hissed.

"Don't play games with me, Sanders! I know the hostages are here somewhere! I want answers and I want them now!" Jack raged.

To prove his point, Jack pulled out his pistol and shoved it in the man's face.

"They're in the loading bay!" Eugene whimpered. "In a trailer marked 'Medical Supplies.'"

"One more question," Jack hissed. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm not inclined to answer that question until my lawyer arrives."

Jack shoved his weapon against Sanders temple and made a motion to pull the trigger until Sanders blurted out, "It was just a way to make money, you know? I buy and sell weapons, okay? I thought it was a brilliant plan, kidnap some people's families, getting the guys to carry out the dirty work, rob a few stores, and make a little extra dough."

"You're one sick bastard," Jack said as he smashed the butt of his pistol across Sanders' cheek, knocking him out cold. He turned to Captain Stevenson.

"Captain, you can take this man into custody. It's been great working with you." "Thank you, Jack. It has been an honor. Now go save those families."

With that, Jack nodded to the rest of the team and they rushed through the office and past a door marked 'Loading Bay.'

The loading bay was basically just a very large garage with a few semi trailers scattered about. A few workers on fork lifts sifted through cargo and loaded it into waiting semi trailers.

Jack had realized that Highway Haulers was a legitimate trucking business and Eugene Sanders had been trading illegal weapons on the black market right under his employee's noses. The business was just a cover up.

Jack found the trailer marked medical supplies right away, mostly because it was being guarded by two men carrying assault rifles. Jack pointed at the men and the CTU team opened fire, dropping them in small pools of blood.

Jack sprinted up to trailer and grabbed a crowbar laying on the ground to pry open the padlocked doors.

As the metal doors creaked open, about twenty pairs of eyes stared back at Jack.

As Jack hopped in Captain Stevenson's squad car, after the police captain offered to drive him back to CTU, his cell phone rang.

It was Ryan Chappelle, the District Director of CTU.

"Good work today Jack."

"Thanks, Ryan."

"How many women and children did you rescue?"

"About twenty."

"Good work, Jack."

"No, it's not. Some of those children lost their fathers because of me. Because I killed them."

"Jack, you had to make a decision, and you made the right one. From what I hear about this Sanders guy, he would have killed them all anyway. Don't blame yourself, Jack."

"Thanks, Ryan."

Jack Bauer shut his phone and stared at the rising Los Angeles sun. He pulled on his sunglasses and closed the door to the squad car. He sighed as he thought about his own family.

Kim and Teri were his life.

Jack Bauer held back tears as Captain Stevenson pulled away.


End file.
